Colorado Facilitator Training Course
Designed for working professionals looking to expand their skills and knowledge
A course designed to teach you all the rules, regulations, and best practices of psilocybin facilitation in the state of Colorado.
Professional training courses like this one are a prerequisite for applying for a facilitator license in Colorado.
Course is 150 hours long and takes place over 12 weeks
This program is fully online + in-person OR alternative practicum
Total Tuition*:
$6900 (alt prac)
$8000 (In-Person Practicum)
*CO requires 50 post-course Consultation Hours to be completed within 2 years of finishing a training program. These hours are additional to the hours included in the standard program and are not reflected in the costs. See our page on consultation hours for more info.
This course is DORA approved for licensure in Colorado
Next Cohort Start:
January 2025
First Day of Class: Tuesday, January 21st
Last Day of Class: Tuesday, March 25th
In-Person Practicum Dates: Thursday to Sunday, March 27-30 in Portland, OR
Winter 2025 Applications are Open
Monday to Friday 9am to 4pm
Closed all school and federal holidays
Please allow 1-2 business days for replies to all official communication
Office Hours:
Please note: APL does not buy, sell, handle, use, trade, or interact with psilocybin mushrooms in any way.
We are exclusively a training program.
For information about finding psilocybin services in your area, please see the DOR list of state-approved healing centers.
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An exploration of the long history of psilocybin use, its change in status during the “war on drugs” and the revival of research on its use.
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An exploration of historical inequities in healthcare and how to build a practice that is inclusive.
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A deep dive into the Oregon Psilocybin Services Act that will identify up-to-date policy information and teach the core responsibilities of facilitating in Oregon.
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An overview of of the pharmacokinetics of psilocybin and its effect on various biological systems. Also, a look at the current state of research in psychedelics.
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An exploration of key elements for safe and ethical facilitation including trauma-informed communication and understanding adverse reactions.
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Detailed course work on the legal requirements for compliant preparation, essential forms and documents, and learning important skills for compassionate and effective preparation.
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Learning the essential methods for administering a session, the legal dosing limits and time requirements for service, the details of compliant administration, and important tools for creating a productive set and setting.
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Learning the key aspects of effective integration, techniques for designing meaningful sessions, and talking to clients about their experiences.
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Learn how groups differ from individual work and how to design group sessions so that all members have a positive experience.
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In-Person
Training in facilitation and altered states of consciousness through direct observation of current facilitators in Portland, Oregon. Because there are not any licensed Healing Centers yet operating in CO, in-person practicum has to be set at an affiliated service center in the only place that currently has licensed centers: Oregon. Travel and lodging expenses are not included in tuition costs.Alternative Practicum
While we are waiting for this new industry to get fully up and running in CO, regulators have created a pathway for students to explore alternative states of consciousness in non-psychedelic ways. Please see our practicum page for more discussion of these two differences.
Brief Course Description
Testimonials
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I have to say that the Acadia Psilocybin Facilitator training is as good as or better than any training I've ever taken. In my experience, training is very frequently provided by practitioners, not teachers. While it is always great to have the perspective of folks who actually do the work, when you can have that plus an experienced teacher...it's soooo much more effective. Travis and Marci have that very special combination.
M. Kelly
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This course was truly life-changing. It showed us the true depth and breadth of this practice all the way from the incredibly left-brained reality of OPS law compliance to the expansive and inherently connecting nature of psilocybin as a medicine. It was rigorous and there were times when I was intimidated but the passion and dedication of the instructors and students inspired me to keep going. I feel confident that this program is the most robust of its kind. I also know that every student graduating from this course is going to help so many people with deep humility, knowledge and kindness.
Katrina NG
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This course is a guide through a constellation of history, science, and current events. The overarching themes such as personal responsibility, hospitality, and legal compliance lay the roadmap for inspiring trust- the most vital component- within this emerging field.
S. Norwood
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It was extremely well organized, researched and presented. One of the best courses I have taken in my professional career.
S. Boswell
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Travis is a knowledgeable, motivating, and competent instructor. He has a demeanor and presentation style which helped me maintain my focus, engagement, and enthusiasm. And Marci was a great program director. Her communication and availability were clear and responsive throughout the application process and the course itself.
Scott T.
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The course was more affordable than others I looked into. I feel that it was such a phenomenal value. Top tier educational experience.
Kaleen
What is Psilocybin Facilitation?
Psilocybin facilitation is the practice of supporting individuals during their use of psilocybin, a psychoactive substance found in certain species of mushrooms, for therapeutic or personal growth purposes.
In November 2022, Colorado voters approved Prop 122, which largely decriminalized the growing, distribution, and consumption of psychedelic mushrooms and other plant based psychedelic substances for adults over 21 years of age. Under the new law, individuals can grow their own mushrooms, freely give them to other individuals, and consume them in a non-public setting. Notably, psychedelic substances cannot be sold and there is no model for retail, direct-to-consumer sales.
Additionally, Prop 122 allowed people to offer “bona fide” services for support or harm reduction related to psychedelic journies, essentially creating a legal space for trip-sitting or more formally, facilitation. However, if a facilitator is providing their services outside of a state-regulated industry, they must tell clients they are unlicensed.
To that end, Colorado began to roll out a new system for licensed facilitators, growers, and journey space providers in 2024. The actual licensing and practical implementation of these new systems will begin in January 2025. In order to be a licensed facilitator in Colorado, a person must complete a licensed training program. And in order for a client to legally purchase mushrooms for a journey experience, they would need to work with a licensed “Healing Center” where they can buy their dose and consume it onsite
During a psilocybin session, the facilitator holds space for clients and provides support as they navigate the psychedelic experience. The facilitator is the individual who helps the participant set intentions, works with them to think about and create a comfortable and safe environment for the session, and provides emotional anchoring throughout the experience.
Significantly, Psilocybin Facilitation is NOT therapy. In fact, facilitators are strictly forbidden from diagnosing any health conditions, providing therapy, or using any other modality to direct the psilocybin experience, unless they carry another license in a healing profession AND have a clinical facilitation license that allows them to combine faciliation with their other speciality. APL’s training program applies for all facilitation license types in Colorado.
Since the use of psilocybin mushrooms is not illegal in Colorado, facilitators are allowed to touch or engage with the mushrooms, which is a divergence from other legal markets like in Oregon where such activities are prohibited. We expect that Healing center employees will be providing mushrooms directly to clients during a facilitation experience most of the time, but since we are literally at the earliest stage of the process, how it will all work exactly remains to be seen.
Facilitation is an amazing opportunity to create and hold safe space for clients who are looking for a novel and powerful way to explore and possibly breakthrough their own limitations, whether those limitations are rooted in personal trauma, clinical depression or anxiety, negative relationships to self or to others, and many other individual challenges.
Facilitation provides clients a controlled opportunity to explore their own senses of self, including how they relate to themselves and to a greater human community. Oftentimes, clients even report pressing into other planes of thought that some people could consider spiritual.